IJA eNewsletter – March 2024

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www.juggle.org		    IJA eNewsletter
   March 2024Editors: Don Lewis & Martin Frost
(ijanews@juggle.org)

 

CONTENTS

  • 2024 IJA Festival
  • 2025 IJA Festival Director — Call for letters of interest
  • IJA Juggling Championships entry closes on May 10
  • IJA Board nominations open
  • Visit Lambeau Field in Green Bay
  • Don’t be shy — come to the festival in Green Bay!
  • IJA Board meetings
  • Latest articles in eJuggle

 

 

2024 IJA Festival  by Afton Benson, 2024 Festival Co-director

IJA 2024 Festival Green BayIJA 2024 Festival Green Bay

We’re inching closer to Green Bay!

If you have not gotten a hotel room, now is the time — the room block is nearly sold out!  Looking to share accommodations or have a room to share?  Find someone to share with in the IJA Festival Room & Ride Share group!  Register for the festival, invite your friends, and book your hotel today!  This is a festival you will not want to miss.

Do you know any youth jugglers?  Launching this year at the festival from the Youth Juggling Academy in partnership with REACH Juggling is Club YJA!  This will be for youth between 7-18, Tues-Fri from 10 am to Noon, offered at no additional charge to participate.  Youth will gather with others, build friendships, play, and have workshops from amazing jugglers just for them!  Sign up to get the full details and so we can gauge how many youth will be attending.

We’ll be announcing a call for workshops soon, start thinking about what you want to share.  Think about the workshop you’d like to see — perhaps you’re the person to lead it!  In the past we’ve had such widely varied workshops as crochet your own juggling balls, performance tips, and discussions on site-swaps.

You can pre-register online for the festival until Noon ET on June 8, 2024.  See IJA Festival info.

Last, but not least, when you register you can purchase the exclusive pre-order only IJA zip-up hoodie, we will NOT be ordering extras of these so don’t miss out!

 

 

2025 IJA Festival Director — Call for letters of interest  by Ross Berenson, IJA Board Chair

Call for letters of interest for the 78th annual fest happening during the week of July 14-20, 2025.

Are you passionate about curating unforgettable experiences for the juggling community?  Do you thrive in dynamic environments where creativity and organization intersect?  Join our team as a Festival Director and play a pivotal role in shaping the 2025 IJA Festival in Evansville, Indiana.  The IJA would love to hear from those who are interested!

Responsibilities:

  • Organize the week long festival.
  • Oversee all aspects of festival planning, from conceptualization to execution, ensuring seamless coordination and exceptional attendee experiences.
  • Collaborate with the board, volunteers, artists, vendors, sponsors, venues and local partners, to align on goals.
  • Develop and manage budgets, timelines, and resources.
  • Choose to lead a team of your choosing, providing guidance, support, and clear communication to ensure everyone is aligned with the festival’s vision and objectives.
  • Craft shows that highlight the vibrant spirit of our community and embody the core values of our organization.  Let’s showcase the very best of who we are and what we stand for!
  • Implement comprehensive marketing and promotional strategies to drive attendance and enhance the festival’s visibility and reputation.
  • Evaluate the success of the festival through post-event analysis and feedback collection, identifying areas for improvement and innovation.

Past festival directors are here to cheer you on and help guide you whenever you need it!  While some parts of the festival, like the competitions and shows, are tried and true favorites, there’s also plenty of room for you to toss in your own ideas and make this experience unique!  So, let’s team up and have a blast creating something unforgettable, together!

If you’re excited about the position and eager to learn more, don’t hesitate to reach out to the IJA Chair.  Send a letter of interest stating why you’d like to be the Festival Director, any experience you have organizing events and volunteers, and any ideas on how you’d make the festival great!

 

 

IJA Juggling Championships entry closes on May 10  by Martin Frost

IJA members can now sign up to compete in this year’s IJA Juggling Championships in Individuals, Teams, and Juniors divisions.  The championships will take place on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, at the festival in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Check out the rules and enter today.  The IJA draws jugglers from around the globe to compete in the Championships.  Don’t miss your opportunity to shine!  Deadline to submit your application, video, and fee is 11:59pm ET on May 10, 2024.

 

 

IJA Board nominations open  by Martin Frost

Nomination are open for members of the IJA Board of Directors.  Board members will be elected during the annual IJA Festival in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with all IJA members age 13 and over eligible to vote at the festival or online leading up to the festival.

The IJA Board of Directors manages this nonprofit corporation for the benefit of its members.  The board is composed of seven people, with elected directors serving two-year terms.  Approximately half of the seats are up for election each summer.

The directors are asked to meet in person at the summer festival.  Each board member is expected to communicate regularly by email, must have web access, and will attend online meetings once or twice a month.  Directors should expect to spend some hours each week on behalf of the IJA.

In addition, all candidates should understand that the members of the Board of Directors are legally responsible as fiduciaries in setting the goals and policies of the IJA, managing its finances, overseeing its employees (if any), and administering its programs.  At all times, the members of the Board of Directors must act in good faith and in the best interest of the corporation.  The IJA maintains Directors and Officers insurance as a protection.

This is a great opportunity for you “to render assistance to fellow jugglers.”  Nominate someone, including maybe yourself.  That’s right, it is perfectly acceptable to nominate yourself.

Information about the nomination process is available at juggle.org/business/nominations.

The nomination deadline is 11:59pm PDT on May 15, 2024.  Participate!

 

 

Visit Lambeau Field in Green Bay  by Mike Sullivan

Lambeau FieldSign up for the 2024 Green Bay Bus Tour & Pub Crawl now!

Every fan of American football knows the storied history of Lambeau Field, the legendary home of the Green Bay Packers, who to this day still hold more professional football titles than any other NFL team, ever.

During our festival week, you’ll have a special opportunity to tour Lambeau Field, the Packers Hall of Fame, the Packers Pro Shop, and even go down to field level and see where so much NFL history has been made, up-close.

It’s an incredible experience, whether you’re a Packers fan or not.  Even non-football fans will be impressed by it all, and it’s something you will always remember about your week in Green Bay.

The Lambeau Field tour is just one stop among several on the special IJA pre-fest bus tour of Green Bay, set for Monday afternoon, July 8.

We’ll depart from the Hyatt Hotel at 1pm and visit all our festival venues, including The Meyer Theater, the KI Center, many area restaurants and bars, the riverfront Hagemeister Park dining area, Lambeau Field and the amazing National Railroad Museum.

Lambeau FieldWe’ll slake our thirst along the way with a pint or two of some great local Wisconsin brews, including plenty of time at Lambeau Field and the 1919 Kitchen and Tap.  By dinner time, we’ll be back near the Hyatt for a final draft and optional group dinner at one of the great casual restaurants near the hotel.

Tickets for all this, including our custom charter bus, admission and tour at Lambeau Field, our tour of the National Railroad Museum, and two local drafts at our pub stops, are just $85 each.  Best of all, you’ll be with dozens of your new (or old) juggling friends!

Be sure to make your travel plans so you arrive into Green Bay in time for our 1pm CT departure on Monday afternoon!

Get your tickets now in the IJA Store.  Sign in to your IJA account and then look for 2024 Green Bay Bus Tour & Pub Crawl and Lambeau Field.

Any questions?  Please email vendors@juggle.org.

See you on the bus!

Mike Sullivan
Tour Organizer

 

 

Don’t be shy — come to the festival in Green Bay!  by Don Lewis

There are essentially two types of people who come to the IJA juggling festival.  The first group is jugglers who have been to the festival before and can’t imagine missing it.  The second group is there for the first time.  They aren’t too sure what they have gotten themselves into, but they know that they like to juggle.

The first thing that you notice upon walking into the gym space is that a lot of people like to juggle, and many of them are really good.  And they all seem to know each other.

The second thing you notice is that people seem to disappear and re-appear practically every hour.  That is because they are going to workshops.  There are free, hour long workshops, all day, every day.  There is no extra charge for these regular workshops.  Workshops range from beginner to expert levels for about just about anything you can juggle.  It can be a chance to try out props that you may never have seen before.

The third — and most important — thing you notice is that people are really helpful.  If you are struggling with a trick, someone will probably come over and offer a suggestion or two that really help.  When you see the person again they may be performing on stage.  All the pros and experts remember struggling to learn and respect anyone who is trying.

If you like passing clubs but don’t get enough practice at home, the IJA festival is the place to be.  There is always someone ready to pass clubs with you, either alone or in a group.  Don’t be shy.  There are workshops for passing at assorted levels.  It is usually simple to find someone in the gym that is willing to pass.

 

 

IJA Board meetings  by Ross Berenson, IJA Board ChairIJA Board meetings

IJA Board meetings are open to all IJA members and are hosted on Zoom.  To find out the times of this month’s vision and business meetings, or to attend, please email ija.chair@juggle.org and say which meeting you’re interested in.

 

 

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